Back to 2008: I Helped My Dad Become the Richest Man

The moment Luo Xiyuan spoke, the entire room fell silent. The people playing mahjong stopped, the chatter stopped, and everyone's eyes, like searchlights, were fixed on the fourteen-year-old girl.

Luo Xinde's palms were sweating with nervousness. He hadn't expected his daughter to be so direct, without any preamble. If things went wrong, this trip would have been for nothing.

Li Minxia also gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, looking at her daughter with worry.

Only Luo Wen sat on a small stool, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her older sister.

Wang Jianguo was also somewhat surprised. He looked at Luo Xiyuan with interest and put down his teacup: "Oh? Little girl, what do you want to discuss with me? Tell me."

His tone was somewhat casual, like an elder speaking to a younger person, clearly not taking a child's words too seriously.

"Uncle Wang," Luo Xiyuan said, her voice neither humble nor arrogant, but clear and articulate, "I'd like to ask who's in charge of that abandoned primary school at the east end of our village now?"

"An abandoned primary school?" Wang Jianguo paused for a moment, then laughed. "That place has been abandoned for years. The weeds are taller than a person. Who cares? It's village collective property, just left there. Why are you asking this? Want to go there to play?"

Someone nearby laughed along, saying, "That place is creepy at night; kids shouldn't go there, it'll scare them."

"I'm not going there to play." Luo Xiyuan shook her head, then said something that made everyone's jaws drop, "Uncle Wang, I want to rent it."

"What? Rent it?" Wang Jianguo's smile froze. He picked at his ear, wondering if he'd misheard. "You said you want to rent that school?"

"Yes." Luo Xiyuan nodded, her expression serious.

This caused an uproar in the room.

"Hey Luo, is your daughter running a fever? Why did you rent that run-down school? Is it haunted?"

"Exactly, nobody would want that place even if it were free, why would they pay to rent it?"

"This child is really dreaming!"

Luo Xinde's face flushed instantly, feeling a burning sensation on his cheeks, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He wanted to scold his daughter for talking nonsense, but seeing her calm and composed gaze, he swallowed the words back.

Wang Jianguo didn't laugh. He stared at Luo Xiyuan for a good ten seconds before slowly speaking, his tone becoming serious: "Xiyuan, tell your uncle the truth, what exactly do you want to do by renting that school?"

"Pig farming".

Luo Xiyuan uttered two words.

If everyone was shocked just now, they were now completely petrified. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Raising pigs? Raising pigs at the school?

This idea was beyond the comprehension of all the villagers present. It was simply... outrageous!

"Nonsense!" An elderly man of higher seniority next to Wang Jianguo slammed his fist on the table. "Schools are places for teaching and nurturing, places of sages! You want to raise pigs there? This is disrespectful to our ancestors! Absolutely unacceptable!"

"Exactly! What will people from Luo Family Village be called if word gets out? Raising pigs at the school? How could you even think of that!"

Opposition grew louder and louder.

Luo Xinde's face turned ashen; he knew things were about to go wrong.

Just as he was about to pull his daughter away to apologize, Luo Xiyuan spoke again, her voice even louder than before, drowning out all the noise.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down and let me finish."

She looked around, her gaze sweeping across everyone's face.

"That school is no longer a school. It's been abandoned for five or six years, and apart from snakes, rats, and insects, there's not a soul in sight. Should we let this sacred place continue to fall into ruin, turning into a den of snakes and rats, or should we let it regain its value and make some contribution to everyone?"

"We're renting this place to renovate it, not to just herd pigs into the classroom. We'll repair the fence, build new pigsties, and dig a septic tank to ensure it's clean and won't pollute the environment or affect the surrounding residents."

"The most important point," Luo Xiyuan's gaze finally settled on village chief Wang Jianguo's face, "is that we're not renting this land for free? We'll pay rent to the village collective. This money, though not much, is better than letting that land lie fallow, right? This money can be used to repair roads in the village, and to provide subsidies to the elderly living alone—it's a real benefit!"

She finished speaking in one breath, and the whole room fell silent again.

Those who had vehemently opposed the argument were now speechless, their mouths agape. They realized that while the young girl's words were bold, they were all perfectly reasonable, leaving them with no way to refute them.

Yes, that place is just lying there abandoned anyway, so getting some rental income is always a good thing for the village.

Luo Xinde looked at his daughter, his heart churning. He realized that his prepared arguments seemed like child's play compared to what his daughter was saying. His daughter was speaking from the perspective of the village collective, discussing a project that would benefit everyone!

Wang Jianguo remained silent, just silently smoking, his eyes flickering. The shock he was experiencing was greater than anyone else's.

He had been the village chief for so many years and had handled all sorts of disputes and affairs, but this was the first time he had been given a lesson on "revitalizing collective assets" by a fourteen-year-old child.

He realized that the Luo family had come prepared today. Moreover, the one orchestrating all of this was not the honest and unassuming Luo Xinde, but his seemingly quiet and gentle daughter.

"Is what you're saying your own idea?" Wang Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette, looked at Luo Xiyuan, and asked, enunciating each word clearly.

"It was a decision I made with my parents." Luo Xiyuan cleverly attributed the credit to her parents. "Our family made some money, and we thought we couldn't just sit around and do nothing. We had to do something sustainable. My dad said that raising pigs was a reliable way to make money. I thought, isn't the primary school in our village empty? It's spacious and remote, so it's perfect."

Her words explained the source of her idea while also giving her father face.

Luo Xinde immediately chimed in, "Yes, Village Chief. We just want to get things done honestly and practically. Don't worry, we'll definitely build and manage the pig farm well, and we absolutely won't cause any trouble for the village. As for the rent, whatever you think is a suitable annual amount, we won't haggle!"

He's more confident now, and he speaks with more conviction.

Wang Jianguo pondered for a long time.

He had his own plans. The Luo family was now the nouveau riche in the village, riding high on their success. Their desire to get things done was a good thing. If he supported them, and the pig farm succeeded, it would be a political achievement for him. If it failed, the Luo family would be the ones losing money; the village wouldn't suffer any loss and could even collect some rent.

This deal is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

Moreover, he was also moved by the prospects described by Luo Xiyuan.

He raised his head, glanced at the people in the room, and finally his gaze fell on Luo Xinde.

"Xinde, this is a huge investment. Your family should think it through carefully. Raising pigs is not like selling vegetables; the risks are enormous." He confirmed one last time.

"I've made up my mind!" Luo Xinde said decisively. "We're going all in!"

"Great!" Wang Jianguo slapped his thigh. "Since you're so determined, as the village chief, there's no reason for me not to support you!"

He stood up and said to the people in the room, "I agree to this! The land where the abandoned primary school is located will be rented to the Luo family! As for the rent..."

He thought for a moment, "That place has been abandoned for so long, and you'll have to spend a lot of money to renovate it. How about this, the rent is five hundred yuan a year! Let's sign a five-year contract first, and pay the full amount upfront!"

Five hundred a year! That's two thousand five in five years!

This price is even lower than Luo Xiyuan expected! She originally thought it would cost at least a thousand yuan a year.

Luo Xinde and Li Minxia were so excited that their faces turned red.

"Thank you, Village Chief! Thank you so much!" Luo Xinde held Wang Jianguo's hand and kept thanking him.

"Don't thank me yet." Wang Jianguo waved his hand. "Let me make this clear from the start. First, hygiene and disease prevention must be done well. If it becomes smelly or there's a swine fever outbreak, I have the right to take the land back at any time. Second, you need to draw up a written agreement that renovations are allowed, but the main structure of the school cannot be damaged. It must still be usable if the village wants to take it back in the future."

"No problem! Don't worry, village chief, we'll do exactly as you say!" Luo Xinde readily agreed.

And that's how it was settled.

Witnessed by the most respected people in the village, the Luo family, in a way no one could have imagined, secured the base for their future business.

As Li Minxia walked home after leaving the village chief's house, she still felt like she was in a dream.

"Is that... all done?" she asked her husband in a low voice.

"It's done!" Luo Xinde laughed heartily, his mood more cheerful than ever before. "You didn't see the village chief's expression at the end; he genuinely wanted us to succeed!"

He turned his head and looked at his daughter walking beside him, his eyes full of pride and approval.

"Xiyuan, thank you so much for today. If it were up to me, I probably would have been kicked out long ago."

"Dad, this is also because you and Mom have been supporting me behind the scenes." Luo Xiyuan smiled.

The family walked in the winter sunshine, and everyone felt warm inside.

Luo Wen followed beside his sister, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Sis, are we really going to raise pigs at school?"

"yes."

"So from now on we'll be pig farmers?"

Looking at her younger brother's innocent face, Luo Xiyuan smiled and playfully flicked his nose: "No, we're not pig farmers. We're the owners of the pig farm."